


Siren

by lori_yuy



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Backstory, Child Abandonment, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lori_yuy/pseuds/lori_yuy
Summary: Veld observes a young lead singer of a band at Cissnei's suggestion.  He picks the boy up after an event led to his life falling apart around him.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Tseng, Cissnei & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Rufus Shinra & Tseng, Tseng & Veld (Compilation of FFVII)
Kudos: 2





	Siren

**Author's Note:**

> Young Tseng. Slightly AU. Veld was not yet Director of the Turks at this point.

Veld felt out of place in the packed club. The lights waving overhead made him feel disoriented. There were hoards of teenage girls lined up in front of him, screeching and screaming in enthusiasm. Why had he even agreed to this? 

They were inside an inconsipicuous club nestled in the heart of Sector Six, off the beaten path from the main event that was Wall Market. The place was quaint, smelled of alcohol and drugs and perhaps more, but looked cheap enough for a band of teenagers to rent as a performance venue.

Cissnei elbowed him out of his thoughts while pointing her fingers at a tall teen stepping out onto the stage. Veld squinted at the figure from his seat at the very back of the club. "That's the one?" Cissnei nodded and began clapping along with the other girls.

The teen commanded an aura of authority as he took center stage, raising an arm up to rouse the audience. "Are you READY?"

The audience burst into cheers. "We are The Phoenix!!" He announced in his smooth baritone voice. 

He had incredible figure, a medium build with long legs standing straight and tall. His hair was down to his shoulders and felt like it had life of its own. His eyes were a warm dark chocolate lined with thick black lashes and held a piercing gaze that was both captivating and intimidating. The sleeveless shirt he wore showed off his muscles as he grabbed onto and twirled the microphone stand before slamming it back down on the floor. Music blared out into the club as he waved an accompanying band from the shadows of the stage. They were also teenagers.

"Take to the Sky!" He announced the title of the next piece and burst into song with a voice that reverberated off the walls of the club. Veld found himself drawn to the quality of that voice. It was smooth, commanding, and held an energy to it. He observed the audience becoming one under the magical commanding hand of the teen on stage. One moment he was directing the audience, the next moment, he was turned around commanding his accompanying band. Before he knew it, the concert had ended and he found himself clapping.

Cissnei held a mako pop in her hand as she spoke to him. "You should stay after the gig next time. You'll see his real skills better that way."

Cissnei had asked for his time this evening after hearing that he was hiring. They were always looking out for recruits, but finding the right talent for the Turks was always a gamble. She had lived in the Shinra building all her life, and for one reason or another, ended up being under the care of Turks who had spare time. Cissnei had known Veld for most of her life. When she overheard his conversation with the Director that they wanted someone with leadership skills, she gave her input.

"He's the leader of the band, they call him Siren because of his voice. Born and raised in Midgar, I think he went to the school in upper Sector 6, but his parents abandoned him and his youngest sister when they decided to move back to Wutai with the rest of his siblings. He formed The Phoenix with some of his classmates after that to support themselves off of band-earned money."

Aside from being a typical fan, Cissnei provided important information on the teen. An orphan caring for another orphan, not something rare in Midgar.

~...~

Veld returned two weeks later when he spotted a sign outside that club that announced that The Phoenix was performing that night. He stepped into the club early, spotting the boy in the arena, talking to the club staff. The rest of the band were lounging on stage, fooling around.

"The lighting change comes in after the third song. Yellows and greens only." He wrote down notes for the staff as he went.

"Then after the seventh, we'll switch into fast beat and I'll need reds and whites." He made a couple more marks on the sheet of paper.

"At last intermission, I need vocals microphone moved to the left, the band's ensemble moved to the right."

They were so engrossed in the stage setup that they didn't notice Veld standing there and listening. 

A little tug at his sleeve from below got his attention. A young Wutaiian girl was looking up at him.

"Why're you staring at my brother?" She asked innocently. Her voice seemed to attract the teen's attention.

"Li-Lan, aren't you supposed to be home?" She smiled sheepishly. "I missed you!" She ran up to him and hugged "Siren" around his legs. He sighed and picked her up. "Stay backstage till I'm done tonight okay?"

"I get to see you sing?" She burst into a smile.

Veld sat back and watched him masterfully plan out the rest of the stage coordination with the staff until they left stage and the audience started pouring in.

Cissnei was surprised when she spotted Veld in the back of the club. "Come to watch your potential again?"

Veld snickered a bit. "Yes Cissnei, he's pretty good so far."

"I want an older brother just like Siren." She said as the teen came onto stage. 

Veld looked down at her and rolled his eyes. "That won't be happening since you're the oldest."

"If you get him to join, he COULD be my big brother!" Veld shook his head. Turks did not join to become babysitters.

"SI-REN! SI-REN!" The chants were hypnotic in rhythm as the audience cheered. If anything, he had the skills to back up his stage name. Veld watched him mesmerize the audience over and over with each song that he went into.

Veld watched in awe as the boy skillfully tore down stage after the show, storing all the equipment into their respective bags. His band members had long left. Methodicness and dedication were definitely strong points in this one.

Veld approached the stage as teardown was just about to finish. "Hello there." Veld held a hand out to shake. "Siren" looked at the hand before shaking it. "I very much enjoyed your show. Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

His name was Wenyu. Wenyu San, or San Wenyu if you go by Wutai naming convention. Veld chuckled mentally. That was a fake name at best. Unbeknownst to the boy, Veld actually knew Wutaiian, and his name would have meant "Salmon", and there's no way any sane parent would have named their child that. Veld chatted him up and learned about his childhood in upper Midgar. He was the fourth child of immigrant parents whose father was a doctor and whose mother was a teacher at the school he went to, that is, until a family emergency with his grandparents urged them to move back to Wutai with his other siblings. He did not want to go with them and neither did his little sister as they were born and raised in Midgar. His parents left them out of anger and due to time constraints. Veld watched as he retreated carrying his little sister who was asleep out of the club.

~...~

Veld first noticed something was wrong when the other band members were huddled on stage, giving a stinkeye to Wenyu who was directing setup. Li-Lan had come to the club once again, hanging by Wenyu's legs.

Veld hung around behind the club when he saw that the band who usually went home straight after the concert stayed today. Wenyu had captivated the audience like usual today, but it was clear something was amiss as the band made blatant mistakes during several parts of tonight's show.

He heard indiscriminate angry voices coming from back stage from where he was. The band and Wenyu burst out the back of the club suddenly, Li-Lan following behind.

"You seriously think we'd believe this? There's NO WAY your parents left you with no money. It's totally unfair for you to take the attention of all the girls AND 30% of the earnings. And now you're asking for 40%?"

Wenyu seemed annoyed but kept his voice calm. "I am not lying, it's all I have to support me and my little sister."

"BULLSHIT!" The drummer who is big and of a bulky build yelled at him. The teens had broken into a brawl. They piled onto Wenyu, who held well against the onslaught on his own. 

Veld gasped and before he could react on time, the drummer had suddenly turned and plunged a fist directly into Li-Lan's head, knocking her off her feet and her head hit the concrete several yards away. He pulled out his gun and shot down the teens without thinking.

Wenyu was knelt down next to his little sister, wailing like a lost child as his former friends laid in a bloody pool nearby. Veld came up behind him and closed his eyes when he saw the little girl was no longer breathing. He pulled the boy up from his shocked messy state.

"I have a place for you...if you'd let me help you."

~...~

Tseng. That was his new name.

He was surprisingly good with a gun. Veld trained him for the better of three years before President Shinra handed down a request for a Turk.

He chuckled at the irony. Tseng was being assigned to babysit Aerith. He was the best fit as he knew how to deal with children given his past and now training with and watching Cissnei for several years. Cissnei got her wish for the big brother she wanted.

Veld is sure somewhere deep down he was still holding onto his pains, but the boy knew how to compartmentalize his emotions. While decent at fighting, he had a good head on his shoulders, and Veld really thanked Cissnei for helping him scout Tseng out. Tseng was the brains that was needed to become the next leader of the Turks and Veld trained him as so, pairing him with the President's son often as a strategic move to ensure the Turks' survival within company politics when he noticed Rufus Shinra's attention being drawn by the magnetic aura that was "Siren".

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sad. Imagine how Tseng felt seeing Marlene for the first time and her reminding him of his dead baby sister.
> 
> This was a quick writing for me off an idea I've had for awhile on Tseng being a vocalist of a band as a teen.
> 
> How did I create an original character and kill them in under 2000 words?


End file.
